bad tactics

The other night we admitted a woman with a chronic condition in a very severe exacerbation. She sat huddled up in bed, looking very sick, and pretty much refusing to talk, so most of the history came from an attentive husband. He explained that she’d been diagnosed some seven years ago, “but in 2002 she was healed, so she hasn’t needed any medicines since then.” Umm, right. Turns out she had been in the hospital once in between, but whether because of a misdiagnosis at that time, or because of patient refusal, had not restarted the usual medications. The husband concluded his explanation of the most recent events by saying, “We’re born-again Christians, and we’re just waiting for Jesus to heal her.”

I gave them a fairly supportive answer, and went to report to my senior, who uses Jesus’ name frequently, but not with any decency. I felt obliged to mention their story about healing, since they would undoubtedly tell it to him when he went in, and because it was rather relevant as an explanation of why her disease had been untreated for so long. He shook his head. “That’s nonsense. You can’t be healed of that disease.” Although not the ground I would have chosen, I felt obliged to say something, because I don’t intend to spend the month listening silently to his atheism. “Well, theoretically, I think you can be healed of anything.” “Not metastatic disease!” “Well, yes, that too, if God wants too. Nothing is impossible for God.” “That’s your philosophy.”

But I do wish these folks would have some better sense of tactics. It’s bad enough trying to tell any doctor that you’ve been miraculously healed; it produces a less skeptical response if you actually have been healed, or at least have minimal symptoms. Being on death’s door and requiring an operation is not the position from which to state that you’ve been healed. Please, folks; it makes it hard for the rest of us. (And for consistency’s sake, and politeness, don’t show up to the hospital and let yourself be admitted, and then insist to all and sundry that you’re just waiting for supernatural healing. If you’re here, you have to admit to God’s use of means on occasion.) (But I would still be thrilled if she were miraculously healed, just for the sake of my atheist colleagues.)

Visitor – Thanks for dropping in. I would suggest, however, that 1) scientists who believe that humans evolved from bacteria, without seeing the transitional species and without being able to observe any similarly genus-crossing developments in their labs are using a fair amount of faith; and 2) there is evidence for my beliefs: Jesus the Son of God was born, performed thousands of well-witnessed and recorded miracles, died and returned to life, as witnessed by at least 5,000 people at the time, and has changed the lives of millions of people since then.

We’ve had babies whose parents were waiting for a miraculous healing. I’ve seen a few, but not many.

One was quite spectacular In one case the neonatologist tried unsuccessfully for several hours to reach the family to ask permission to discontinue life support.

The family arrived some hours later. By that time, the baby’s heart rate had increased from 60’s to 140’s (normal for a preemie), his fontanel was no longer bulging, his pupils were no longer fixed and dilated, and he had begun to move like a normal preemie instead of lying limply in the warmer.

It was Thanksgiving, and the physician had been unable to reach the family because they had chosen to go to church that morning.

The rest of his hospital course was remarkably uneventful and he looked like a normal baby when he went home. I wish I had more follow-up than that, but I moved out of the area a few months later.

But yes, bad form to claim miraculous healing when all the evidence points to the contrary – and we’ve had to deal with that too. It’s particularly difficult when the family insists that the absence of a heartbeat is not evidence that their baby will shortly be healed.

Alice, (and Nathan),
This is a particularly important incident in your medical training. I do not think that God will send healing to this lady for the sake of your colleagues, as he would not send Lazarus back to the rich man’s brothers. They have Moses and the prophets, and Jesus in the flesh, and Alice with them. If they do not hear them, they will not believe if this woman is miraculously healed.

As confused as the patient and husband may be, they are evidence of the Christ-haunting that Flannery O’Connor wrote and spoke about. I spent a very profitable four hours listening to Steve Wilkins and Duane Garner speaking about Flannery and her stories. (I don’t know how to link AAPC or Bucer Institute in this reply) She wrote to wake up the nihilistic, empty people that you are surrounded by, and even more, to wake up those who call themselves Christians but fail to see the wonder and mystery in the world.

Her preface to A Memoir of Mary Ann is absolutely essential for anyone in medicine to understand suffering in the world.

In fact, almost everyone of her stories speaks to the unreal world in which doctors and patients alike seem to dwell. We live in a world where we think we control everything. We think with Hazel Motes that no one with a good car (or stents or a scalpel) needs justification.

Relish, and thank God for this important encounter in your medical training.
Rob

I believe that miracles happen, but I don’t believe that every bad situation is matched with a miracle. Alot of times, people just can’t view christ as loving because He didn’t save their loved ones from dying. But the situation on earth is so incredibly complex. We have God, Satan, and our poor decisions wrapped together. So not everything is black and white. Also, I think that we need to remember that God’s ultimate purpose is for us to receive eternal life. Sure, He can perform a miracle and keep you on this earth for about 10+ more years, but what He really wants is for you accept Him and love Him. Miracles are an added plus. Remember He said that its a rebellious nation that requires miracles in order to believe (I’m not saying that you all require it, but I’m just throwing it out there).

Personally, my grandfather dropped dead in front of my family in a shopping mall parking lot. My pediatrician mom rolled him over and couldn’t find any signs of life in him. As my grandmother was screaming out loud, “God, please, no no no, help him, please!!!”, a man come out of nowhere, bent down, touched his neck, turned to my mom and said that he would be fine. We all saw him bent down beside my grandfather, but we didnt’ see him leave. Before the ambulance go there, he was alive and alert. At the hospital we found out that he had a pulmonary embolism (PE). Everyone who was there considers it a miracle, but I still believe in God, even though he didn’t save my grandaunt from a horribly malignant brain cancer.

You take it when you get it, but I believe (and I think the bible focuses more on) in eternal life being the object to attain.